Captain Britain #2: Albion Part Two

“Brian, please reconsider,” begged Meggan as she followed Brian through the house as he began to pound up the stairs with his wife at his heel.

“No, Meggan, you say you’re pregnant and I can’t take the chance of him hurting you…which he will when he sees you’re not me. I’m the one he wants,” Brian was adamant about his decision.

“I can disguise myself like you,” said Meggan, she was now getting quite irate with Brian’s attitude and dismissal of her power. “I’ve got less chance of being hurt then you, you have no powers.”

“Next to no powers,” said Brian with a headshake as he walked down the hall lined with pictures of his family going back generations before turning into the room shared by himself and Meggan.

“What do you mean next to no powers? I was there Brian you have no powers left, the Crimson Dawn stripped them away,” she followed Brian across the hard wood floor past their four-poster bed as he headed to the wardrobe.

Brian’s hand rested on the handle of the wardrobe for a second and sighed before he opened it. Inside were the costumes he and Meggan had worn when they were still active. Brian stood there staring at them for a few seconds before lowering his head. “Meggan I’m not proud of what I’m about to say but I sometimes try my costume on,” he smiled weakly. “I know it’s pathetic but I keep seeing if I’m still in good shape…skin tight costumes show these things well.” Brian stopped again and glanced at Meggan. “The truth is it feels good to slip into costume.”

“I understand how hard it is,” said Meggan, she put her head on his shoulder and snaked her arms around his chest. “I miss it too, I at least still have my powers so I don’t feel it as much as you…I still don’t see what this has to do with your powers though?” questioned Meggan.

“I may have lost my powers but my suit still has some,” Brian turned and stared at Meggan who looked a bit shocked. “My suits are linked to me they absorb the same energy that I do while I’m in Britain. I tried one on not long ago and ended up hovering…I took it straight off in case I ever needed it…like now.”

“So you have powers when in your suit?”

“Yes, I think all the times I wore it, it absorbed energy and its holding it in just looking for a way to expend it,” Brian tossed the coat hanger holding his costume to his bed and began to unbutton his shirt.

“Brian, please don’t do this,” begged Meggan. “Even if your suit has this power stored you don’t know how long you have or how much of it or however you want to measure it.”

“I know,” said Brian. He couldn’t look at Meggan because he didn’t know exactly, he couldn’t be precise because it was unquantifiable but he’d know when it started to run out so he’d have to make sure Albion was down by then.

“Brian, please,” begged Meggan. Her hands found Brian’s shoulders as he began to pull his uniform on. “I agreed to stay because you asked me…for the baby remember.”

“This is different,” he said as he stepped back from Meggan and turned his back while he pulled his mask over his head and turned back to her. He knew if they looked into one another’s eyes he would repent and give in, he loved her that much so he hid behind his mask.

“How is it any different?” yelled Meggan, her eyes began to fill with tears, Brian closed his eyes under his mask. He wasn’t sure if Meggan was crying on her own or if she was picking up on his emotion.

“I’m expendable” said Brian, he said it in practically no more than a whisper. “If you die, so does the baby and without you two I may as well die too…If I die…you live and so does the baby and you’ll have each other. I’m expendable.”

“Not to me,” cried Meggan as she pressed her head up against his chest. Brian hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry,” Brian sighed as he released Meggan and began to walk away from her leaving her wrapping her arms around herself.

Brian paused as he got to the bedroom door, he began to turn around before he stopped himself. His head was tilted towards Meggan but he couldn’t bring himself to turn and look at her “…I love you,” he kept walking.

“I love you too,” whispered Meggan unsure Brian heard but he didn’t need to hear her, he knew it and she could feel it.

London…

Albion hung in the air, a crowd had begun to gather but they were an inconspicuous crowd hiding in doorways and in their office buildings knowing that they should run but unable to through curiosity and the fear that if they got into his line of sight Albion would destroy them.

“Look at them hiding, cowering in fear like mice,” thought Albion to himself. “They hate me and yet they don’t even try to strike me down or to put a stop to me…they don’t deserve to live, life is struggle and they’ve given up.”

Albion began to float down towards the ground causing several hushed gasps from those in the buildings and doorways around him, his feet touched the ground blowing the dust of crumbled buildings away as he landed. He glanced around before walking forward.